This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,571,679 discloses an energetic material initiation device with a header assembly that includes an exploding foil initiator. While this device works very well for its intended purpose, we have noted that in high-shock situations (i.e., where the device experiences high levels of shock before the device is operated) it is possible for the shock to crack the (compacted) input charge. The cracking of the input charge increases the risk that the input charge would fail to detonate.
We surmise that due to changes in elevation across the header assembly that are related to the thickness of the contacts, the thickness of the solder that is employed to secure the contacts to the exploding foil initiator, the thickness of the barrel, etc., the input charge is not supported to a maximum extent on a side adjacent the exploding foil initiator. Consequently, the void space between the header assembly and the input charge provides space for portions of the input charge to move by a sufficient amount in a high-shock situation to cause the input charge to crack.